Moti's Grill

Went for the first couple times and was not disappointed. I tried the Falafel which seems to be the most recommended item and it was a stuffed heavy sandwich that was delicious. There really was a lot of food here which was appreciated as I've had some sandwiches in the past that only included a few falafel balls. At Moti's, they shoved in as many as they could fit with lots of sauce and crisp cucumber among other things.

Next trip I tried the Schwarma salad which was also excellent. Large salad with fresh crisp lettuce. Only criticism on both the falafel and the schwarma was that it was a little bland...needed salt, but otherwise very good.

Look forward to going back and trying more of the menu items. Other food items I saw in the restaurant all looked good.

Also didn't mind the location. It was just enough off the beaten path to keep the crowds down and the prices fair, but it was still quick to get to. I also passed a lot of other local ethnic restaurants on the way there that I didn't know existed. So, the Yelp lead to this restaurant has opened up options for a few others that I want to try. ;)

Thumbs up!

DISGUSTING and AWFUL!

I was in town recently and wanted to take my friend to a good Israeli place so we stopped by Moti's. When we got there they informed us that all they had was an Indian buffet since their kitchen was not working. This is the first sign that we should have left, as they basically let us know that the food had not even been prepared there.

My friend loves Indian, so we decided to try it. Let me tell you do not make this mistake like we did!

I dont even know where to begin with all of the awfulness... the "Indian" food was not even close to being real food, let alone Indian cuisine. The dal was watery, the tandoori chicken was simply regular plain baked chicken, and tasted fishy. There were only a few other options which were all watery and suspicious looking. Being a kosher restaurant, there was no yogurt sauce or anything else dairy based. And instead of naan they had cold pita slices.

Also, they were serving us with PAPER plates and PLASTIC flatware! My plastic fork broke during my first attempt to cut the chicken. They had tiny little dixie cups for water.

Midway through the first few bites of my food I felt the first rumblings that something was not right. I couldn't even attempt to try the other items on my plate as I got sick and had to run to the bathroom. My friend was also feeling the effects of the questionable food and we both had to leave immediately to get some fresh air and try to recover.

To add insult to injury they had the audacity to charge $22 for this nightmare!!! Simply outrageous. I wish I had just walked out without paying. In fact they should have paid us for this torture. But at that point we just had to get the hell out of there.

NEVER AGAIN!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

4.5 Stars

This is my labs go-to group lunch location for our summer students when they are leaving. How can you go wrong with Halal grilled meats, plenty of Vegetarian friendly middle eastern dishes, humus so good that it can start a riot, and a smiling and happy staff! Oh, and the Kosher market attached is the added bonus, you can do some grocery shopping for great prices after you eat! The laffa bread is fluffy and soooo much better than pitta bread, put everything in lafa! Pickles and slaw that are fresh and crispy make a great accompaniment to any of the marinated and slow cooked meats, and their felafel balls are also crispy and well seasoned! I can't help but get a side of french fries here because, they too, make me want to flip a car over and steal a t.v. screen from hardware store.....RIOT inducing good food, great price!!

We got takeout from Moti because one of my best friends really likes it and wanted this for her birthday dinner. The restaurant is located in a random shopping center and somewhat difficult to spot just using a GPS.

We ordered the beef kabobs and fried falafel platter with two sides of fries, a side salad, and roasted potatoes. I picked it up and wasn't familiar with what the dishes should have come with but apparently they forgot the yogurt sauce and pita bread it was supposed to come with which lost them a star on its own.

The falafel balls were good, however without the pita and yogurt sauce, they were lacking. The beef kabobs (which also came with no pita bread or sauce) were also fairly tasty but the price tag of $16 was ludicrous because I have a better kabob place down the street that serves them for more than half the price.

I am not sure if eating in instead of takeout would've been better but I would not come back for takeout. The yogurt sauce and pita bread defintely would have made the whole meal much better so it was very disappointing that I never got to judge the dishes with these items included. I'll be skipping Moti next time around.

Had not been here in years and was pleasantly surprised.

The good:
*they closed off the restaurant more so you do not realize that you are actually inside of a grocery store, space is nicely decorated.
*food was fresh and well prepared, had the falafel plate, the balls were tasty and the pita was warm. Had asked for salad and had assumed it would be the Israeli one but was served lettuce with a red onion on it instead. Friends had the steak, they raved how well cooked it was, fries were great
*service was quick in spite of the place being packed

The not so good:
* service-confusion among the waitstaff as to which waiter had our table. We kept getting approached about water, orders etc by different people asking the same thing? I think they need to work on their staff training and make sure everyone knows which tables they are assigned to
*place was packed, Thursday evening. Too many tables squished together
*the menu seems to have shrunk a lot since my last visit, not as many vegetarian options

Will be back for sure. Good food!

Falafel is one of those dishes that can either be really tasty or horribly bland. Moti's understands how to do falafel right and is a great stop for lunch.

If you're one of those people who can't eat at dive restaurants because the surrounds are too important, I suggest that you wear a blindfold to Moti's. It's basically carved out the Kosher Mart next door and is about the size of some of a "Junior One Bedroom" or whatever DC real estate agents are hocking these days. There is a counter, a fixings bar, a cooler for drinks, and a couple of chairs pushed against the wall.

Service here is also pretty scary. When I arrived, there was one person in front of me, but the cashier couldn't seem to get her order. Then he took forever counting change. I will give him some credit, the woman kept screaming (she must have been hard of hearing) "What is this called again?" If you go to a restaurant called a Falafel Stand, they're probably going to serve falafel.

So, the food is the star here. Four pieces of fresh falafel come tucked inside warm pita bread (if you get the sandwich). You add all of the fixings that you want, including: homemade pickles, lettuce, yogurt sauce, cabbage, tabbouleh, etc. The pita is freshly made and tastes wonderful, and the falafel itself is bursting with flavor.

Because you can get a meal for under $6, I plan on stopping by here at least once per week for lunch.

The owner here cracks me up. I've been to this restaurant with my former coworker (who is Jewish) about 5X and I remember what he orders. The funny thing is....that despite the fact that he has been going there 1X a week and ordering the same dish for the past year, the owner does not remember...and messes up his order every single time we go, but never messes up mine.

LOL.

So this bigtime fight erupts every time we go and my coworker starts screaming at the owner in Hebrew and then the owner in turn starts screaming at the cooks for making a mistake. In the meantime, I'm just sitting around a bit worried b/c I think spit will get into our food....
Apparently though, this kind of fight is typical in Jewish society (so says he) and I shouldn't be worried. Aite. I'll take his word for it.

So...back to the food. I have tried the Shawarma Laffa, Falafel Pita, and the Kifta Kebab. All of which I believe are fantastic choices. The quality of the meat is fantastic and as far as I'm concerned, I can't taste any artificial flavors (duh it's Kosher).

If you like homestyle cooking that tastes great and want to eat healthy, Moti's is the place for you. And yes it's ok to come here if you're Asian. Just expect everyone to stare at you a lot b/c u'll be the only Asian there.

HoLy FLUFFY PITA, Batman! I've only had the falafel - & it was seriously yummy - especially with a squeeze of lemon (so ask for it). The pita bread is incredible. Who knew pita bread could be so delish? Loved the Israeli salad - fresh & not overpowered by onion. Enjoyed the lightness of the cabbage salads, too. Really good food & the service was spot-on. Friendly & genuine & efficient - the way it should be. I dig the weirdly surreal location, too. It makes me long for 1972.

There's also a lunch buffet - I didn't try it, but that's what most people were helping themselves to: heaps of meat in sauce & seasoned rice - looked good, smelled good ...Maybe I'll try that next time.

I have to give this place 5 stars, because it is absolutely my favorite. My friends and I try to make the trip to Rockville at least once every two weeks to have Moti's falafel. I have to admit that I haven't tried many other things on the menu (except schwarma, which was also delicious) because the falafel is perfect.

The falafel is warm, with a slight crispy outer layer. The pita bread is the best I have ever tried, it smells and tastes like heaven. They bring out pita and dips for an appetizer before your meal arrives. They also make tasty baklava and chocolate cake for dessert.

The service here is wonderful! The man who is always working the register knows us, our usual table, our orders, and where we are from. We sit in the back corner and laugh a lot, and the cook sometimes sends us extra falafel. We've had a few different waiters, and each have been friendly and helpful.

My boyfriend has been to Israel, and he says the falafel here resembles that in Israel -- fresh, and slightly green.

The food is wonderful (although I hate the traffic coming off the 270). Ask them to add hummus to your falafel pita. I love the schwarma -- it's not fake meat, it's pieces of whole meat, and flavororful and juicy. The fries have batter around them. Toppings include fried eggplant, tahini sauce, chopped tomato mixture, marinated cabbage, and plenty else, so you'll get your veggies with your meat!

But the ambience sucks. It's ghetto. There are chairs and tables you can dine at, but if you're squeamish about going to a darkly lit Mexican joint, then don't come here.

Final verdict:
This outshines Lebanese Taverna in terms of quality of food. But be warned, the menu is limited and the setting isn't the greatest. That could be a good thing, though, because I see this place getting busier and busier every time I go -- and it's strictly because of the food, not for any other reason. Hence, this is a foodie's place -- for foodie's who just seek good food and don't need a refined service to validate a restaurant. So as long as the setting sucks, it'll scare a lot of people away, but not me -- I salivate for this place!

This is worth a 20-30 minute drive. But because of construction on Montrose, it can be hairy getting here at lunch time. Oh, and check their hours online, I think they're closed on Friday or something like that.